THE SUFFERING MESSIAH (Mark 10:32-34)
INTRODUCTION:
Last Sunday our passage began by telling us that Jesus was setting out on a journey. He had been ministering in Perea which was on the east side of the Jordan River and down alongside the Dead Sea. We are not given a time period of how long He was there, but as He set out on this journey it was interrupted by the rich, younger ruler running up to Him and kneeling before Him.
This morning our passage picks up where last week’s passage left off. Jesus and His disciples were again on the road and Mark informs us that they are on their way to Jerusalem. Jesus will for the third time inform His disciples what will take place in Jerusalem on this trip. This passage can be divided into two parts: What the prophet’s predicted and what Jesus knew. Let’s pray and then get into our passage.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles to Mark 10 again and this morning we will just be looking at three verses, Mark 10:32-34. Please, if you are able, stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word.
Mark 10:32-34,
“They were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking on ahead of them; and they were amazed, and those who followed were fearful. And again He took the twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him, saying, ‘Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles. They will mock Him and spit on Him, and scourge Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise again.’ ” (Mark 10:32–34, NASB95)[1]
WHAT THE PROPHETS’ PREDICTED (Mark 10:32)
Before the incarnation, before Jesus ever took on human flesh and dwelt among us, He knew His purpose for coming to earth. The reason He was able to make specific and accurate predictions concerning His death was because He knew the Old Testament perfectly and secondly because He possessed perfect divine knowledge. He knew what the Old Testament prophets had written about Him and because of His own omniscience He could tell His disciples exactly what would take place.
As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem it is probable that they encountered many people on the way, it was drawing near to Passover, one of Israel’s holidays that required all Israelite men to come to Jerusalem and many of them brought their families as well. It is also possible that people saw Jesus leaving and followed Him. They had left the Jordan River where they had crossed from Perea back into Judea. Mark tells us that Jesus was walking ahead of them, going willingly to His death. Jesus walked ahead of everyone, pulling His anxious, confused, hopeless followers with Him with the sheer force of His presence. Mark writes that the twelve disciples were amazed, not only were they amazed but it also says they were afraid. People had been amazed by Jesus before, amazed at His teaching that was with authority, amazed at His power to heal, amazed at His power to raise the dead, and amazed at His power to calm the wind and the raging sea. So, at first glance, nothing seems out of the ordinary in this verse. Why then were the disciples amazed and afraid?
Mark gives us this curious detail because of the resolute determination that the disciples saw in Jesus as He was going to His destiny. As the prophet Isaiah said concerning the Messiah, He had set His face like flint (Isaiah 50:7) to go to Jerusalem, for He knew He was called to give Himself over to His enemies there. Now, as they made their way up to Jerusalem, Jesus did not linger. He moved quickly keeping ahead of His disciples, going to His death with a firm determination. Most of us, if we knew we were going to our death would drag our feet. Not Jesus, He was prepared to obey the Father to the very end. The disciples could not get over it. They were amazed by His resolve and were terrified at what might befall Him and themselves at Jerusalem.
Jesus aware of their amazement and aware of their fear took the twelve aside and began to tell them once again what was going to happen to Him. As it happened, the twelve had a difficult enough time coping with Jesus’ betrayal, arrest, trials, crucifixion, and death. Had they not been forewarned, the level of fear and doubt they would have experienced would have been far greater. But when these events began to take place, the knowledge that the events were unfolding just as Jesus had told them would reassure them that God was in complete control.
The Twelve were familiar with the Old Testament, it was read and taught in the synagogue which they had attended their whole lives. But under the influence of the bizarre, mystical teaching promoted by the Pharisees and the scribes, they lacked a true understanding of God’s revelation. Throughout His ministry Jesus had challenged and corrected the rabbinic misinterpretation of the Old Testament. Now that His death was imminent, the Lord Jesus intensified His instruction of the disciples.
In the parallel passage in Luke 18 in verse 31 Luke writes, “Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, ‘Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished.’ ” (Luke 18:31, NASB95)[2] Jesus ‘death was promised in the Old Testament, not in vague, general terms but very specifically.
Let’s begin with the sacrificial system, which was initiated and mandated by God, it out of necessity pointed to one final sacrifice. The author of Hebrews explains this so clearly for us. First, he writes in Hebrews 9:9, “… both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience,” (Hebrews 9:9, NASB95)[3] He goes on to say in Hebrews 10:1-3, “For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins? But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year.” (Hebrews 10:1–3, NASB95)[4] Then finally He writes in Hebrews 10:10-12, “By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God,” (Hebrews 10:10–12, NASB95)[5]
Jesus most certainly would have reminded His disciples of the words of Psalm 22, which Bob read for us this morning, a psalm that graphically describes the death of the Lord Jesus on the cross—even though crucifixion was unknown in Israel at the time that the psalm was written. Verse one of Psalm 22 are the words our Lord spoke from the cross, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1a, NASB95)[6] Verses 6-8 predict the scorn and mockery piled on Jesus Christ by His enemies. “But I am a worm and not a man, A reproach of men and despised by the people. All who see me sneer at me; They separate with the lip, they wag the head, saying, ‘Commit yourself to the Lord; let Him deliver him; Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.’ ” (Psalm 22:6–8, NASB95)[7] Verse 16 clearly speaks of crucifixion as it says of those executing Him, “They pierced my hands and my feet.” (Psalm 22:16b, NASB95)[8] Finally verses 14-17 describes the physical suffering the Lord Jesus would endure on the cross, “I am poured out like water, And all my bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It is melted within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And my tongue cleaves to my jaws; And You lay me in the dust of death. For dogs have surrounded me; A band of evildoers has encompassed me; They pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones. They look, they stare at me;” (Psalm 22:14–17, NASB95)[9] This remarkably accurate prediction of the crucifixion even records the details that His executioners would divide up Jesus’ garments and gamble for them. “They divide my garments among them, And for my clothing they cast lots.” (Psalm 22:18, NASB95)[10]
Jesus surely reminded His disciples of all that the prophet Isaiah had prophesied about His birth, His life, death, and resurrection—pointing them especially to Isaiah 53. The Old Testament also predicted numerous other details about Jesus’ life, ministry, death, resurrection and even His ascension. His triumphal entry on the back of a donkey was predicted in Zechariah 9:9; His desertion by His friends in Zechariah 13:7; His betrayal for 30 pieces of silver in Zechariah 11:12; That none of His bones would be broken in Exodus 12:46 and Psalm 34:20; That He would be given vinegar to drink in Psalm 69:21; That His side would be pierced in Zechariah 12:10; That though His grave would be assigned to be with wicked men (as was common with crucified criminals), He would actually be laid in a rich man’s tomb predicted in Isaiah 53:9; That He would rise victorious over death in Psalm 16:10; That He would ascend to the place of honor at the Father’s right hand in Psalm 110:1.
All these predictions were made about Him and Jesus was determined to go to Jerusalem to fulfill all that was written about His death, burial, and resurrection. After His resurrection He would again go through the Old Testament prophecies with His disciples to explain again the predictions with their fulfillment. It was then that His disciples really understood because they had experienced the truth and because as Luke writes, “Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:45, NASB95).[11]
WHAT JESUS KNEW (Mark 10:33-34)
Along with the Old Testament prophecies was the knowledge that Jesus Christ had about the events surrounding His impending death, knowledge that only one who knows the future could possess. Again, this is another display of our Lord’s divine omniscience, the fact that He knows all things. We have seen this omniscience before in His knowledge of people’s hearts and thoughts. The Gospels carrying many examples of the Lord’s omniscience which give us a glimpse of His Deity.
Jesus’ own knowledge of what would happen provides added perspective on the magnitude and the intensity of our Lord’s suffering on our behalf. The Twelve knew that they were going up to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. What they did not fully grasp was that Jesus Christ would be the Passover Lamb, the ultimate and acceptable sacrifice that alone would satisfy God and bring to an end the symbolic sacrificial system. One of the main reasons Jesus had to explain these truths to the Twelve in advance was that the concept of a dying Messiah was completely foreign to what they had been taught concerning the Messiah all their lives. A nineteenth century historian gave this summary of what the Jewish people expected regarding the coming of Messiah and the establishing of His kingdom. He wrote, “First, the coming of the Messiah would be preceded by a time of tribulation. Second, in the midst of the turmoil an Elijah-like prophet would appear heralding the Messiah’s coming. Third, Messiah would establish his glorious kingdom and vindicate His people. Fourth, the nations would ally themselves together to fight Messiah. Fifth, Messiah would destroy all those opposing nations. Sixth, Jerusalem would be restored and made new and glorious. Seventh, dispersed Jews scattered all over the world would return to Israel. Eighth, Israel would become the center of the world, and all the nations would be subjugated to the Messiah. Finally, the Messiah would establish His kingdom, which would be a time of eternal peace, righteousness, and glory.”[12] For this to be your understanding of the coming Messiah left no room for a dead, or even a risen Messiah.
Jesus again used His favorite messianic title Son of Man to refer to Himself, a title that emphasized His incarnation. Then He describes the nature of His suffering as a man. This suffering can be broken down into five different parts.
First, the Son of Man would suffer disloyalty. He would be betrayed and delivered to the Jewish religious leaders by one of the twelve disciples, the men closet to Him. Psalm 41:9 predicted that the Messiah would be betrayed by a friend, only Jesus knew that Judas Iscariot would be the betrayer. Judas betrayed Jesus to the Jewish authorities for a mere 30 pieces of silver, just as Zechariah prophesied. Then with mock respect, he pointed out Jesus to His captors with a kiss.
Second, Jesus suffered rejection by Israel. First, from the chief priests and the scribes. This included the high priest and all the living high priests, the captain of the temple, who was the assistant to the high priest, and various other high-ranking priests who oversaw the everyday priests who ministered in the Temple by their divisions. He was also rejected by the scribes, who were experts in rabbinic and Old Testament law. Most were Pharisees, but some were Sadducees. Together they made up the aristocracy of Isreal’s religious establishment. These whipped the people into a frenzy before Pilate and had them screaming, “Crucify Him!” Even the men closest to Him abandoned Him temporarily when He was arrested, they all fled. But most profoundly, Jesus was rejected by the Father, causing Him to cry out on the cross, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
Third, Jesus suffered injustice. After a number of illegal, unjust, and mock trials, Israel’s leaders would condemn Jesus to death and would hand Him over to the Gentiles. After another series of trials before the Gentile rulers Pilate and Herod, Jesus, despite having been declared “Not Guilty” repeatedly by them would be sentenced to death. The holy, just, and righteous second person of the Trinity was falsely accused of sin, sedition, insurrection, and blasphemy. And the trials that He stood before were epic demonstrations of injustice at every point.
Fourth, the Son of Man suffered ridicule. The sinless Son of God, in whom “all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form” was mocked, mistreated, and spat upon by those holding Him in custody during the trials, this includes members of the Sanhedrin, Herod and his soldiers, and Pilate’s soldiers to name a few who did this to Him. The ridicule continued even while He was on the cross, the religious rulers were sneering at Him, saying, “He saved others, let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His Chosen One.” The soldiers also mocked Him, coming up to Him, offering Him sour wine and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!” Even one of the criminals crucified with Him was hurling abuse at Him and saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” The reviling and abuse He faced throughout His ministry intensified at His death.
Fifth, Jesus suffered bodily injury. He was beaten multiple times while in custody. Then shortly before His crucifixion, the Romans would brutally scourge Him with a whip with multiple thongs embedded with pieces of glass, bone, rock and metal. So severe was the damage from scourging that many died from it.
Finally, Jesus’ enemies would kill Him. He would be executed in the most horribly cruel manner imaginable—crucifixion. Jesus never finished describing the events surrounding His death without speaking of His resurrection, “…and three days later He will rise again.” (Mark 10:34b, NASB95)[13] Jesus always left the disciples with the hope of His resurrection, that death could not hold Him, but He would triumph over it, sin, Satan, and death would be conquered by Jesus Christ. The Old Testament predicted His death centuries before it happened, Jesus knew just exactly would take place by His perfect knowledge of the future, and in this passage He tried to prepare the disciples for what would happen to Him in Jerusalem.
CONCLUSION:
Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, was determined as He led His disciples on the road to Jerusalem. He knew that they were amazed at His determination, and He knew they were afraid, and that fear increased with each step that brought them closer to Jerusalem. Jesus pulled them aside and again told them what was going to happen to Him. He wanted them to see and understand that this was not the end, but in reality it was the beginning. He wanted them to understand that this had to happen to fulfill Scripture, but it also was necessary so that salvation by faith would be a reality. God’s wrath against sin had to be satisfied or all mankind would be condemned to the Lake of Fire separated from God forever. Jesus Christ had to be the final and the perfect Passover Lamb that takes away the sin of the world. The sinless Son of God suffered and died so that His people might have eternal life with Him. Peter said it this way in 1st Peter 2:21-25, “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.” (1 Peter 2:21–25, NASB95)[14]
[1]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[2]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[3]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[4]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[5]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[6]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[7]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[8]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[9]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[10]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[11]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[12]Schürer, Emil, A History of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ. New York, NY: Scribners, 1896. 2:154-78.
[13]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[14]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.